Do you recall the news of 2018?

1. Former tax commissioner Tom Moyane went to court to try to shut down the Nugent commission looking into the affairs of the South African Revenue Service (Sars) on Moyane’s watch and to challenge his firing by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The court dismissed the case, and was very uncomplimentary about Moyane. Which of the following words did the judge not use in his judgment when referring to Moyane and his case?

a) Vexatious

b) Abominable

c) Abusive

d) Execrable

e) Irrelevant

2. During Moyane’s tenure as chief tax commissioner, the shortfall in taxes collected grew and grew. The total amount lost was calculated to be …

a) R30-billion

b) R60-billion

c) R90-billion

3. When Moyane was in charge of Sars, tax claims against companies involved in illegal cigarette distribution were dropped. How much was the tax lost calculated to be?

a) R5-billion

b) R7-billion

c) R9-billion

4. The Special Investigating Unit has been asked by the SABC to recover R33-million in improper disbursements. How much of that amount is to be recovered from former SABC chief Hlaudi Motsoeneng?

a) R11.9-million

b) R19.4-million

c) R21.7-million

5. The ANC announced that it would fire several mayors in Limpopo in the wake of the VBS scandal in which R2-billion was looted from the bank. How many ANC mayors were to be fired?

a) Three

b) Five

c) Seven

6. Photographs emerged showing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema jovially posing with admitted criminals, including a cigarette smuggler accused of tax fraud and the admitted murderer of mining boss and ANC Youth League benefactor Brett Kebble. Which of the following did not appear in a photo with Malema?

a) Mikey Schultz

b) Adriano Mazzotti

c) Radovan Krejcir

7. EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and Democratic Alliance MP John Steenhuisen got into a spat about academic qualifications in Parliament. Ndlozi has a doctorate; what is Steenhuisen’s highest qualification?

a) Matric

b) Diploma

c) Bachelor’s degree

8. EFF second-in-command Floyd Shivambu was reported to have benefited from monies given by Vele Investments, backers of VBS, to his brother Brian. What was the amount allegedly funnelled to Brian Shivambu?

a) R10-million

b) R16-million

c) R20-million

9. Which of the following are not suing the EFF for libel?

a) Journalists Thandeka Gqubule and Anton Harber

b) Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi

c) Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan

10. It was claimed that African Global Operations, formerly Bosasa, which does a lot of business with the government, gave a large amount of money to Andile Ramaphosa, son of the president. The money may or may not have been channelled to Cyril Ramaphosa’s war chest in his battle to be elected ANC president. What was the amount?

a) R500 000

b) R700 000

c) R900 000

11. Which of the following former ministers did not turn up in support of former president Jacob Zuma when he appeared in court on charges of bribery and corruption?

a) Faith Muthambi

b) Bathabile Dlamini

c) Des van Rooyen

12. Former MP and admitted liar Carl Niehaus, now spokesperson of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association, threatened former chief justice Dikgang Moseneke with dire consequences because he referred to Zuma as a …

a) “Bumbling fool”

b) “Constitutional delinquent”

c) “Evil motherfucker”

13. Malusi Gigaba resigned as minister of home affairs in 2018 because, according to him, …

a) He had lied about the granting of residence permits and passports to members of the Gupta family

b) He lied about the Fireblade airport terminal deal with the Oppenheimer family

c) He helped to decimate South Africa’s tourist industry by imposing new visa requirements

d) He made a video of himself masturbating

e) He didn’t want to cause harm to Ramaphosa and the ANC

14. Gigaba sued a radio presenter for saying …

a) He had personal reasons for backing the severe visa rules

b) He is ridiculously vain

c) He has a small penis

15. Deputy President David Mabuza spent some time in Russia to be treated for …

a) Alcoholism

b) Poisoning

c) Tummy ache

16. Which of the following South African celebrities did not fall foul of the tax authorities this past year?

a) Itumeleng Khune

b) Jimmy Tau

c) Katlego Danke

d) Bonang Matheba

e) Bernard Parker

17. There was talk of a chunk of Denel, the state arms company, being sold to a Middle Eastern country. What is that country?

a) Israel

b) Saudi Arabia

c) Qatar

18. Just as relations between South Africa and Rwanda were improving, a website associated with the Rwandan military insulted South Africa’s Foreign Minister Lindiwe Sisulu for talking to an exiled Rwandan politician who had been given refuge in this country. What was the insult directed at Sisulu?

a) “Subversive”

b) “Undiplomatic”

c) “Prostitute”

19. Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Much later, when the Saudi government admitted he had been killed, a number of people were arrested for the crime in Saudi Arabia. How many people were arrested?

a) 11

b) 16

c) 18

20. DJ and producer Das Kapital calculated that South African artists earn about 5c for each play of their work on streaming service Spotify. What was his calculation for streaming on iTunes?

a) 2c

b) 7c

c) 11c

21. During the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season there were 10 named hurricanes. Which of the following is not the name of a hurricane in this period?

a) Beryl

b) Debbie

c) Ernesto

d) Florence

e) Gerald

22. Which movie won the Oscar for best picture at the 2018 Academy Awards?

a) Call Me by Your Name

b) The Shape of Water

c) Darkest Hour

23. Which leading Hollywood actor had to return an Oscar statuette, originally awarded to Marlon Brando in 1955, because it was a gift from a financier now being charged with fraud?

a) Leonardo DiCaprio

b) Johnny Depp

c) Brad Pitt

24. Which of the following is not the name of a perfume released in 2018?